Please note we are in the process of transferring to a new consultation portal system and the consultation responses on this consultation may be temporarily unavailable to view whilst we make this transition.

Ashford Borough Council is currently preparing a new Local Plan for the borough. The plan sets out the land that needs to be provided in the borough to accommodate new homes and jobs up to 2030. It also includes the policies that will be used to help decide planning applications.

This is a draft plan - we need views from all interested parties to help us make any changes needed.

The consultation runs from Wednesday 15th June 2016 until Wednesday 10th August 2016 at 5pm. THE CONSULTATION IS NOW CLOSED

The draft Plan can be read in full online here Local Plan to 2030 - Publication Draft , or can be downloaded using the following link: Local Plan 2030 Draft Regulation 19 Version - PDF Print Version

The draft Local Plan is supported by a number of background documents (evidence base), which can all be viewed at the following link.

http://www.ashford.gov.uk/local-plan-2030-evidence-base

Finding out more about this consultation

The following leaflets provide a summary of the Local Plan to 2030, and sets out frequently asked questions.

Local Plan 2030 - Summary Leaflet

Local Plan 2030 - FAQs

Representations (comments made) on this consultation are now public for all to view.

How to View Comments:

There are several ways to search for comments - detailed step-by step guidance to assist in searching and viewing comments is available here: Guidance on searching and viewing comments. A quick guide is below:

Quick Guide

Option 1 - click here (after reading below instructions): Local Plan to 2030 - Publication Draft

This will take you into the online version of the draft document – to the first page (contents page and schedule of policies) There are no search options on this page so please scroll to the bottom and click the next page arrow to take you to the relevant part of the plan – or use the ‘search’ box to find the relevant site or topic you are interested in.

Once on the correct page, scroll again to the bottom and you will see a tab labelled ‘view comments’. This will allow you to view all comments made on that section.

Option 2 - If you already have the representation number (comment ID) - please scroll down this page until you see the blue header called Consultation Links. Click 'view the responses' tab. A new page will open and on the top a ‘Search for Comments’ header. Please click the down arrow symbol next to the text here and it will open up search options where you can enter the representation number (Comment ID). Make sure you use the ALP/ prefix.

What Happens to the Comments made?

The Council will consider all the comments (representations) received during the consultation period. Following a full analysis of the representations, a decision will be made as to whether to submit the Local Plan for an ‘Examination’ by a Government appointed Inspector, or to make changes to the draft plan. If changes to the Local Plan are proposed, ABC will re-consult with stakeholders and the public on any proposed changes for a 6 - week period, expected in Spring 2017.

What are 'Omission Sites'?

Following the consultation on Regulation 19 – Draft Local Plan from June to August, we received a number of representations from other parties which requested a reassessment of a previous site submission or submitted completely new sites for assessment as potential for inclusion in a revised version of the Local Plan. These are called 'Omission Sites'.

These sites are not proposals for site allocations from ABC.

Assessment work will follow the same process as our previous site assessments where we will assess suitability and sustainability of the sites. This process will take a couple of months. At present we have no open consultation running on the omission sites and cannot receive comments on them as we have no formal way of recording them.

Can I make comments on these representations?

No. At this stage these are published for information only. Please do not submit your views on representations or 'omission sites' made by others to ABC at this stage. There is no open consultation and these will not be recorded. ABC are currently undertaking analysis and site assessment work. Any changes to the draft Local Plan following this work, including if any of the 'omission' sites are to be considered for inclusion, will be available for consultation in the proposed changes consultation, expected in Spring/Summer 2017.

Parish Councils, Community Forums and Ward Members will be kept informed of the process and any consultation events in their local areas and it will be advertised to the public.